Humans of The Islands - Sionlelei (Sina) Mario
Sionlelei (Sina) Mario
Assistant Programmes Officer, Commonwealth Secretariat
Rotuma, Fiji Islands
Tell us a bit about yourself - What you do / Where you're from / Your Island heritage
I hail from the beautiful islands of Fiji and I am of Rotuman descent. My parents are from the villages of Juju and Noa’tau in Rotuma, where my mother was born and raised. My biological father is Rotuman with Tavueni links and so I have a mixture of Fiji Rotuman culture and tradition. I am the second generation in Fiji, following the shift from my grandparents to seek a brighter future for the generations ahead. I was born and raised in Suva and so have always called Fiji my home.
In terms of culture, I identify myself with being a modern Fiji Rotuman and this has in turn shaped my social persona and outlook on life and those around me. While my parents have always been strong supporters and great teachers for me, I think much of my ideologies and its foundation was in-built by the SMS sisters at a very young age. A particular teacher comes to mind, Sr Rita Marie (RIP) from my primary school days. I recall her classes were always about being better and doing for others. It was often at that time; the messages were not appealing for me but subconsciously it made such a huge impact on my journey as a young girl growing up in Fiji.
I think the key for me in this context is that I acknowledge my Polynesian heritage and I am flexible in adapting as I am reflective of the principles that I believe in. So therefore, my foundation of thought and conscious has always been on the principles of being a better person for myself and by extension to others.
When/How did you realise you wanted to pursue a career in Human Rights and Democracy?
Growing up with a military father and three brothers in sub-urban Suva, being competitive was never really an issue for me and so I easily associated myself with having authority and power over everything I did. I really never understood why girls were shy or thought they were not equals, it was when I reached my teenage years that I realised the false pretense that girls had the same physical strengths and freedoms that boys, such as my brothers and cousins enjoyed in my nuclear family and community setting.
While growing up, my family was affected by the financial crisis and being from a family of a single breadwinner, the issue of making ends meet was a reality. This caused me to complete studies and enter various workspaces ranging from volunteering to part-time with view of being economically stable. I later realised that the corporate sector did not give me the level of job satisfaction and added value I was subconsciously seeking.
It was until I joined the NGO sector through a dear friend and later colleague, that I finally recognised the passion to create platforms for achieving human rights and democracy. I realised how I could create and be part of a bigger process to creating a better world. The Citizens Constitutional Forum, a human rights organisation helped me realise the various social, economic and political situations that created the environment that I grew and was socialised into. That the experiences I faced with my family and community did not happen in isolation but were interlinked to the leadership structures I was born into. I reference here to the traditionally patriarchal leadership structures, institutions that were corrupt, and discrimination based on ethnicity, economic status and political affiliation. This I will say was the turning point where I became passionate about human rights and a democracy.
Fast forward 4 years on and I am currently based in London and pursuing international experience while working in one of the world's greatest cities. My work here is quiet similar, I still build my foundation on the principles of human rights and democracy, in particular focussing on empowering and building the capacity of young people around the Commonwealth to be accountable leaders. I assist with delivering programmes around professionalising youth work, managing and strengthening the youth led network around human rights and democracy and providing recognition for youth workers for their tremendous work for and with young people.
What did it feel like to walk in front of the queen? Tell us about the process of getting chosen to carry the mace? Explain a bit about the event?
The feeling was magnificent, it was once in a lifetime opportunity and I thank the Commonwealth for creating that space and giving me that opportunity. It was really nerve wrecking at the start and when I was informed for the role. Through the rehearsals, I was able to calm my nerves and think bigger picture – I am doing this for all those young people back home and for my family. The few seconds before procession, when the queen arrived I felt this calm and everything fell into place. It was wonderful – it was peaceful.
The celebrations took place at London’s Westminster Abbey in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen, His Royal Highness Prince Charles, His Royal Highness Prince Harry and other members of the Royal Family. It was a Commonwealth day celebration service and is Britain’s largest annual interfaith gathering.
The theme for this year was peace building with a large focus on youth development, and so I was chosen for my background in human rights, championing youth empowerment and my role as the only young professional in the Commonwealth from the Small Island States of the Pacific.
To hold the Commonwealth Mace is an extremely high honour and it is only used on special Commonwealth occasions, including the Commonwealth Day celebrations and at biennial heads of Government meetings. The Commonwealth Mace was a gift of the Royal Anniversary Trust to The Queen in her role as head of the Commonwealth.
I would like to thank the Commonwealth for continuing to push on through in its work especially during these global turbulent times. Thank you Commonwealth.
In terms of Human Rights and Democracy and the role you’re in with the Commonwealth Secretariat, how does your Pasifika culture affect the way you see the world around you?
My current work is around youth development frameworks and my role specifically aims to create and strengthen processes that aim to achieve opportunities for young people to be empowered for leadership roles. As a young woman from the tiny islands in the Pacific my greatest challenge is approaching development with a youth lens. Specifically, because young people are too often not encouraged to speak truth to power. There is this culture of silence and to only speak when one is being asked, including showing respect to elders without being critical of their ideas and actions. This has been my reality from childhood and so this has created many barriers for the way I approach the current structures within my professional environment. I have learnt over the years that in order for one to progress further, one needs to unlearn to learn new ways of thinking and approaching anything whether it be professional or personal situations. In my context of youth development, I see the diversity in the commonwealth as strength because each region comes with strong cultural norms, and I have had to unlearn many things I heard and saw growing up in order to engage democratic processes and create positive outcomes for the work that I do.
Though this may sound all challenging having cultural beliefs goes with its advantages, I see the great potential in holding onto one’s culture because it breeds the principles of honour and respect. I can say proudly that I have progressed this far in my career because I have strong regard for humility and hard work. The successes and praise is a bonus, and it is easy to get lost in pride and the idea of power. So when you are born and raised from humble beginnings you will never forget to stay grounded and keep moving forward to achieve the best you can for yourself and by extension to others.
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Who are your biggest inspirations and why?
My inspiration comes from the many people I have met along the way. Ranging from my family to my colleagues at work and sports groups. I say this because I have had many challenging and equally very positive people who have had characteristics that I could associate and in turn became relevant to my idea of inspiration.
I don’t believe in aspiring to be someone that I have not met, I create inspiration from everyday situations and this has worked for me day in day out. This doesn’t go without saying that I am aware of the tremendous work and efforts of human rights champions like Rev Akuila Yabaki, Virisila Buadromo or someone from outside my region like Desmond Tutu, Eleanor Roosevelt and Barrack Obama. I think each of these leaders have characteristics that I can resonate and apply to the work that I do.
What is your ultimate goal? / What do you want to achieve through your work?
Through my current work I want to improve the status quo for young people in terms of access to opportunities to further their skills in creating a better world for future generations. The area of human rights and democracy is very broad and there are many problems we are born and bred into such as unemployment, sexual minority rights, violent extremism, immigration and now more pertinent for us in the small islands of the Pacific - climate change. I aim to continue to pursue my passion by going into legal practice and specialise in international human rights law. I see this as a way in which I can move into policy work around strengthening democratic institutions for positive development.
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Have you had to face any struggles on your journey?
I think every person who works towards a goal in their lifetime will face struggles. I definitely have had many challenges leading up to this day and expect more to come. I think the most challenging experience for me in this role is approaching human rights at an international level, where the problems are intense and diverse. I have had to equip myself with more training and skills to adapt quickly in this role. The key for anything to be a success is always to have a clear end goal and stay positive and flexible. Its cliché but this was not made up for no reason – keep it ‘short, measurable attainable and time bound’ – that’s the way to go in the medium to long run.